Blogs from Trujillo, Peru, South America - page 16

The Pacific coastal town of Trujillo was a pleasant surprise. Blessed with the presence of strong civilisations including the Chimu and Moche, which morphed into Incan dominance, it sports the fantastically impressive pyramids of the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Temples of Sun and Moon). It then became a major colonial centre. The impressive city did well from its strategic location - so well it expanded over the crumbling muddy remains of the largest adobe city the world has known. So climbing temples, marvelling at the most exquisite relief artwork on the facades of the pyramids, visiting decayed, restored, and reconstructed parts of the massive Chimu capital of Chan Chan kept us well impressed (again) with the people of this land gone by. As beautiful as the colonial beauty of modern Trujillo is, it ... read more

Mancora, a place where sun and surf are plentiful year round. After 4 months of constant travel we needed somewhere to rest our tired bodies and somewhere that would give some colour back to our pasty bodies before 4 months of winter in Canada. On the coast of Peru we stumbled across this gorgeous surf beach - Mancora. We started our journey by arriving on a 17hr bus fully cama style (where the large leather seats recline back 180 degrees into beds and refreshments are served). It was the best bus ride in South America. We found a neat little place short distance away from the main crowded beach where we got to stay right on the beach in our own little private bungalow. Unfortunately Drew got to experience food poisoning (we think from chicken also) ... read more

Now that we have made it into Peru our first couple of stops in the North coast were Chiclayo and Trujillo. Chiclayo was where we finally decided to stop after 3 bus journeys and a border crossing which took about 15 hours. Immediately we were struck by the difference to Ecuador which seems so chilled and calm in comparison to the hustle and blaring horns of the local taxis. There is a crazy market in Chiclayo which houses a huge amount of herbs and sages displayed on the stalls of witch doctors. After a ton of travelling we were both pretty knackerd so had a pretty early night before heading down the coast to Trujillo. Around Trujillo are a number of culural sites from the Moche and Chimu periods which were pre inca cultures. Firstly 'Huaca ... read more